It is desirous for all drivers to carry safety equipment such as jumper cables and highway flares with them in their cars. Driver's kits are available that contain basic first aide materials and one or two flares. Such kits are usually contained in a box, often made of plastic or cardboard. A driver may have such a kit for a considerable time before it is needed. After a time the flares may become damp and ineffectual. Law enforcement officers and firefighters must carry a supply of flares at all times and must be able to set them up at the sight of a highway accident quickly and safely. The flares must ignite readily and new ones must be repeatedly set out, sometimes over considerable time periods. The flares are usually set directly on the ground, but ideally they should be elevated above the roadbed for a wider range of visibility.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,070,882 Brown teaches a foldable support for flares. Two metal strips, each with a right angle or L-shaped bend at one end are connected near their midpoints by means of a hollow rivet or grommet. The two strips may be superimposed one over the other for storage and can fit into a case holding two flares. In use, the strips are opened to form an “X” which is elevated by the short leg of the L. A flare can be supported in the X by placing the spike affixed to the bottom of the flare into the hollow rivet. The flare may be ignited and can burn completely while being supported in a slightly slanted orientation permitting any dripping material or ash to run down the side. This support system maintains the lighted flare upright, but does not elevate the flare above the roadbed. Visibility of the flare from a distance or over a hill is very limited. Each support is usable for only one flare at a time. Residue must be removed by inverting the support.
English devised a support that can hold four flares at a time. A truncated pyramidal support is mounted on a flat base having a foldable handle on one corner. A hole in each surface of the support accepts the spike affixed to the bottom of the flare. The base has weight so the support is not easily tipped over and the handle enables the support to be carried even with four ignited flares in place. The flares are maintained at road level. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,324) This device can only be used with spiked flares and must be inverted to remove the residual material before the next flares can be inserted.
Graves, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,527,245, describes a flare holder that attaches to a traffic cone or other upright structure to elevate the burning flare some distance above road level. The holder is shaped to hug the cone and a pivoted shield swings down to catch the ashes so they do not come in contact with the cone. The flare is inserted into the top of the holder and is held in place by means of a hinge pin. This holder cannot be used if there is no traffic cone or other such support at the site. One flare can be inserted at a time and the holder must be removed from the cone and inverted to remove the residual material. Even with the shield, there is the possibility that burning material can fall onto the cone, especially under windy conditions.
Joss developed a container for flares that also provides the means to support one burning flare. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,220,407) This container is small and designed for signal flares such as those used by ships and airlines and can be placed into a pocket in a life preserver. The container is a waterproof case with felt lining shaped to hold four separated flares. A strip holder for a burning flare is pivotally attached to one end of the exterior of the container and can be swung outward when needed. The container resting on its other end acts as the support for the burning flare. A hole in the outer end of the strip holder holds the flare in an upright orientation. A flange near the end of the flare prevents it from slipping through the hole. There is also a cap to ignite the flares. The remnants of the burned flare must be removed by hand before the next one can be inserted. This design would not be practical for the considerably larger highway flares.
A container for highway flares is taught by Hiner in U.S. Pat. No. 3,146,613. A box holds four flares arranged in alternating array. Each flare is held at its lower end in a socket that is mounted and controlled by a biasing spring. The mountings are attached to the inside of the box. The top end of each flare is maintained by a holder that is pivoted on a tie rod connected to a compression spring. When a latch holding the first flare is released the flare is ignited by a striking member and moves to a vertical position. When each successive flare burns down the burning residue ignites the next flare which is released and moves to the vertical position. To stop the sequence, the burning residue can be extinguished. One flare burns at a time. The flares are at road level unless the box is raised by some external support. Once the four flares are spent, the box must be reloaded. There is no auxiliary storage apart from the four contained flares.
Devices have also been developed to carry a number of flares so they can be quickly ignited and placed directly on the ground without any support means. These devices are open carriers that have strikers to ignite a flare and a holder for the burning flare which is then used to ignite subsequent flares for placement along the road bed. (Schaefer, U.S. Pat. No. 3,611,934 and Ingoldt, U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,522) These devices are for use by fire fighters and law enforcement personnel and are not meant to store flares. They must be loaded f or each use from another storage source. The burning flares are placed directly on the ground, usually substantially horizontal.
None of the prior art patents provide for storage of several flares and means to support the burning flares at a distance above the ground level. There is a need for a storage container in combination with a support system so that flares are easily accessed and the lighted flares can be elevated so the light can be seen from considerable distance and when oncoming traffic comes over a hill. There is a need for a flare support from which the hot residue can be removed without having to invert the support system. There is a need for a support system that cannot be tipped over, that does not require any outside means or equipment to elevate the burning flare, and that is fireproof.